10 Years bring magic to DNA Lounge San Francisco, CA 2-17-15 w/ Otherwise, The Glorious Sons, & Luminoth

The From Birth to Burial tour headlined by 10 Years with direct support from Otherwise, The Glorious Sons, and Luminoth took off without a hitch in the beginning of February in Illinois, set to travel throughout the USA until the end of March. Set to return with their first studio album in three years, 10 years will release From Birth to Burial via their own independent label Palehorse in April. When asked about the touring line-up 10 Years frontman Jesse Hasek stated, “We’re very excited to announce our upcoming ‘From Birth To Burial Tour’. Joining us will be our pals in Otherwise, The Glorious Sons, and some hometown friends from Knoxville called Luminoth. We’re looking forward to getting back out on the road and performing new material along with good ‘ol classics. We’d like to thank all of our loyal fans, friends, and family for supporting us for nearly a decade. We’ll see ya soon.” With a warm fan-friendly statement, the city by the bay in Northern California was a stop on Tuesday February 17th at DNA Lounge. This San Francisco stop of their two-month long tour was set to be full of great music, energized fans, and themes of bringing musical freedom back to the industry; a great testament of staying true to one’s self and what they believe in.

Up first was Knoxville, Tennessee’s Luminoth who showcased their varied music background which included everything from metal, punk, blues, jazz, to classic rock n roll. Luminoth’s sound has been described as “a melting pot of every piece of music that matters” by fans. To showcase such diversity was one of their songs “G.T.F.O.” and “Innocence,” the single from their 2014 album Other Worlds and Allegories, produced by no other than 10 Years’ Brian Vodinh. Luminoth, made up of frontman Adam Henry, bassist John Springer, guitarist Jason Henry, drummer Paul McGee, and guitarist and vocals Chad Grennor, is an unsigned band from Knoxville, Tennessee and on their first national tour – From Birth to Burial through the end of March.

Up next was the up and coming Canadian band, The Glorious Sons. They came into the rock scene in 2013 after winning the HTZ-FM Rocksearch. Since then they’ve released two albums, 2013’s Shapeless Art (EP) and 2014’s The Union. The Glorious Sons bring an indie twist to the rock scene, with songs such as “White Noise” that peaked at #2 on the Top-10 Active Rock chart, a song that vocalist Brett Emmons wrote on the way to Kingston, Canada to join the band.  The Glorious Sons with frontman Emmons, guitarist and vocals Jay Emmons, guitarist Andrew Young, and bassist Chris Huot brought an incredibly energized domination of the stage. The band brought a refreshing take on the instrumental diversity and sound of their songs with vocals that tugged with relatable messages with every note. The audience was most excited for songs that they sung along to such as “Baby”, from Shapeless Art (EP), and “Mama”, from both Shapeless Art (EP) and The Union, which peaked at #6 on the Top-10 Active Rock chart. The Glorious Sons have an undeniable talent that is unique in their own way; make sure to check them out as they tour with 10 Years through March and when they come back on the big stage at Canada’s Big Music Fest in July.

To continue the amazing night was Otherwise from Las Vegas, Nevada, that kept things going with their opening song, “Love & War” from their 2014 album Peace at All Costs. Frontman Adrian Patrick with guitarist Ryan Patrick, drummer Corky Gainsford, rhythm guitarist Andrew Pugh, along with new bassist Tony “the Beast” Carboney had amazing stage presence from start to finish. For a band that is nearing their ten year anniversary, they have never looked better! While performing songs such as “I Don’t Apologize (1000 Pictures)” and “Die for You,” both hits from their 2012 album True Love Never Dies, they showed great chemistry that had the audience captivated and wanting for more. Throughout their set, Otherwise emphasized great themes of hope, Adrian has stated “There are so many emotions in life. You’re not just always angry, happy, or sad. When the dark moments come, you just have to stay strong within yourself and you can make it through. We need to stay hopeful together, that’s the point.” Otherwise was true to that statement as they had the crowd singing and jumping along to every note. The greatest moments of their performance came during the last two songs which were the rousing anthem “Soldiers” followed by “Coming for the Throne” when frontman Patrick jumped into the crowd and came together as one with the fans. Make sure to catch them as they tour through March and when they join the stage at Kansas’s Aftershock and Rockfest at Penn Valley Park in Missouri.

The time had come for the main attraction and a hush came over the crowd momentarily as 10 Years took the stage. With seven albums under their belt, 10 Years are veterans to the scene and the moment they began they appeared comfortably in their element. Breaking free of label constraint, 2012’s Minus the Machine still saw 10 Years charting top positions and sell over twelve thousand units in its first week . While this stands true, the band simply are in this for one reason, and that is to write music. In fact, this band is so relaxed in their own skin they need not worry about record sales or chart positions.  In an interview with CrypticRock Hasek stated that “We have kept our crew like family, we don’t need a bunch of crew guys.  We keep them down to the minimum and they all work hard.  We treat each other with respect, every one of us. We are out there like a traveling circus.  There are no egos or hierarchy, we just do what we do.” That sense of tranquility was seen during their performance and returned by the fans with gratitude.

To start, 10 Years opened with “Backlash” and continued the night switching between classics like the moving “Fix Me” as well as new tracks such as “Miscellanea” and “Triggers and Tripwires.” Long awaiting this show the audience was overjoyed to see, and with that singing along to many of the tunes became the standard throughout the night. Hearing the new songs for the first time was an exciting experience that had all ears in-tune to what the band offered up next. It was undeniable how comfortable frontman Hasek, guitarist Chad Huff, vocals and guitarist Ryan Johnson, drummer Kyle Mayer, and bassist Ryan Collier felt on stage. Their demeanor proved their performance to be organic and from the heart of their very being. Having everyone’s full attention, the breakthrough moment for the band was when they sung their hit “Wasteland” from 2005’s The Autumn Effect. From then on, they had the crowd in their hands, even igniting a mosh pit during their performance of “Shoot It Out” before closing with the title track for their forthcoming album release.

The night was a hit and reminded fans to love the talent of these bands and appreciate the love these bands have for the stage. From Luminoth to 10 Years, the bands pushed the envelope on what makes a hit, making sure to emphasize the difference between what the industry wants and what they want. The fans were energized and enjoyed every minute just as much as the bands themselves who were grateful for the positive reaction.  With their new album From Birth to Burial, set to be released the word around is this record personally defines them and their sound. Those are bold words for a band that has already accomplished a great deal. The From Birth to Burial tour will end on March 21^st in Fort Wayne, Indiana; make sure not to miss them as they make their way through the USA.